I know that some states have vicious dog laws. Any bite that puts a human into a hospital, even if just for a check-up means the destruction of the dog. I think that was a Texas law that I read. Is that widespread?

Alex, if you train/handle working line dogs you will get bite. Would this law apply to us?? This would be a sad law for all of us k-9 owners,trainers/handlers.

I don't care if the 9 yr. old is bratty, the dog should not bite the kid. A kid has to understand that some dogs are not "Scobbie doo", but a dog should not bite a kid just for passing by screaming or acting like a kid. That is why they should not be left alone.

I've seen balls (and paid for some) screaded in my back yard, the dogs make a point that kids don't want to come get the ball, they can't use it anyway.

But under no circumstance should a dog bite a child, unless he is coming thru the dog port of your house unannounced (to open the door so the rest the gang of teenager/adults to burglarize your home). Then screams and yelps may help stop, serious problems if they enter and your wifes alone.

But I can make no case for the weiner dog bitting the infant, even though the humans were at fault.
The dog bites infant, the dogs out. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Butch,

That is exactly my point. The other thread involved an entirely different situation altogether. In this case.....yes, this dog mauled a helpless infant. I would not find any mercy in my heart for both the dog and the idiot owners who left the infant and the dog together unattended. My whole point is that every situation is different. We should not treat every situation the same until all the facts are known. Using this story to justify a position on an entirely different set of circumstances does not seem right to me whatsoever.

Chuck, I ageree. The two are completley different in how they should be handled. But why take the Chance??

Chuck, you and I have been on the same side many a time. I find it hard to believe you are out in left field on this one.

Look to the heart of the bite. The JRT 'nipped' 3 kids. If it would have been an infant would it have only been a nip? Put the doxie in the JRTs place. Would it have been a nip instead of a mauling?

Do I feel I am justified. NO!!! Another innocent child was hurt by well meaning loving people, who didn't have a clue. Two separate instances yes. Same result. Unfortuantely different size victims. Could very well be the same exact cause of the bite. Compareable size dogs. Both bred to catch vermin. Both 'loveable' lap dogs. This was a once in a lifetime bite. The JRT has shown aggression on several occasions. Where is there a difference? because this one may mean the life of someone? I still am wondering about all the rescue folks. I mean this should be a slam dunk. Only one bite. Give it a chance. I mean, put it in a home without kids, couldn'y hurt a fly.

Butch,

Kids ALWAYS come first. You will never here me say otherwise.

Now that I have said that...here is a little story.

About 10 years ago, a friend of mine had a Labrador Retriever. This dog was a model house pet for about 4 years. One day, my friends little brother(about 7 years old) comes running out of the kitchen with a bite mark on his hand. It wasn't a massive wound or anything like that. Did break the skin though. Obviously the kid was crying. Apparently the dog was jumping up on the counter and the child told his father that he yelled at the dog and the dog bit him. well after some debate, It was decided that the dog be put down. It wasn't until a few days later that the little boy admitted that he was hitting the dog in the back of the head with a wooden spoon to try and get the dog down from the counter. After some thought, my friend decided that he would not put the dog down, but he still could not 100% trust the dog around his kids. So he gave the dog to another friend of mine. That dog lived another 8 years and NEVER even attempted to bite another person again.

Yes....the parents of this child(in this story I just told) were irresponsible leaving the dog unattended. And yes, the dog should still have probably walked away or just gave a warning growl. I would not ever 100% trust the dog around children either. However,it would have been a mistake to put this dog down. This is what I mean by getting the facts and that every circumstance can be different. There is a tendancy to jump on the "put the dog down" bandwagon.

And yes Todd, IMO, a dog that maules an infant is a done deal in my eyes.

I remember a story in the local newspaper a few years ago. A grandmother was babysitting her less than 1 month old grandchild. She put the baby on the bed and didn't close the door. A while later one her 2 dogs came out carrying the baby by the head. Although the dog picked up the baby gently (there was no mauling or repeated bites) the baby later died of severe cranial trauma from the canines puncturing the skull.
Supervision, supervision, supervision.
In this case the grandmother was grossly negligent in leaving the baby without proper security. Namely a closed door and a baby monitor. But how could you trust or even live with a dog after an incident like this? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I'm with Chuck. Every situation is different. My worst dog bite ever was from my own bitch was I corrected her unfairly (and, for the first time at that). I was an idiot and deserved the bite. She warned me to be fair, and while it hurt and bled, it did not require any professional medical attention. I still have her five years later and consider her quite trustworthy.
On the other hand, I advocated strongly for the destruction of a bitch who mauled a kid about nine years old on the ranch I lived on. I got voted down, even the kid's dumb parents were supporting the animal-since "no one saw" what "the boy may have been doing". He went to the hospital for several days with a torn rectum. Damage to that extent is simply not explainable.
Later the same bitch got hold of one of the cow dogs and began eating it, much to the unhappiness of the still-live dog. I was home alone, and got to make the command decision to send her to doggie heaven that time. That kind of drive is just dangerous.

Before anyone reads the last couple posts and jumps to conclusions....let me re-iterate, I am not defending this dog who mauled the infant. Put the little shit down. I am only defending other dogs that are automatically placed in the same category regardless of the circumstances.